Thoughts on Drama Remakes Airing on Different Stations
May 15, 2015 ‘Baker King’ premieres on TV5 this Monday. The said series is a rare example of a remake that aired on a different station from the original. (Photo credit: PEP.ph) Not all remakes of drama series ended up airing on the same station as the original. Such was the case for three telenovelas starring Thalia: MariMar, Maria la del Barrio and Rosalinda. The first two originally aired on RPN-9 in the mid-90s, briefly giving the struggling station a ratings boost. GMA then re-aired MariMar in the late 2000s, while creating two local remakes of it: one starring Marian Rivera in 2007, and another still under pre-production this year. ABS-CBN never re-aired the original Maria la del Barrio, but was able to produce a remake in 2011 starring Erich Gonzales. The Kapamilya network also aired Maria Mercedes and Rosalinda later in the 90s. But while they managed to create a local version of the former with Jessy Mendiola two years ago, the latter wound up in the hands of the Kapuso network, not only re-airing the original, but also producing a remake starring Carla Abellana in 2009. This phenomenon is not restricted to telenovelas alone. It also happens to local dramas as well. For instance, GMA aired the original Anna Liza starring Julie Vega in the early 80s. Then over two decades later, ABS-CBN remade the series (retitled Annaliza) with Andrea Brillantes, running for nearly a year. ABS-CBN aired the original Anna Luna starring Margarita Fuentes from 1989 to 1994 and transfered to RPN from 1994 to 1995. Then over 20 years ago, IBC-13 remade the series with Abby Bautista, starting last January 19 as part of the network's return of afternoon block. Another example was Dyesebel, which was remade into a GMA teleserye in 2009, only to be rehashed again by ABS-CBN last year. The former starred Marian Rivera while the latter starred Anne Curtis. As for IBC-13, airing the telenovela Carita de Angel (under Viva-TV block) in 2001. Then over 13 years later, it managed to create the first local version with Mutya Orquia, aired from September 30, 2013 to February 28, 2014. Also, airing TreseBella's Taiwanovela Hayate the Combat Butler, which is remade the local version from October 27, 2014 to March 27, 2015, starring Born to be a Superstar season 3 grand champion Shanne Velasco. When IBC's blockbuster TreseBella launched, aired the Mexicanovela Two Sides of Ana (Dalawang Mukha ni Ana) starring the Mexican actress Ana Layevska and Rafael Amaya, aired from May 5 to October 3, 2014 giving the struggling station a ratings boost of Channel 13. Now TV5 is doing something unprecedented, as a remake of the popular GMA Koreanovela The Baker King is expected to premiere on the network starting this Monday. That said, even Asianovelas are not safe in the said phenomenon. The original version of The Baker King aired on the Kapuso network in 2011, and starred Yoon Shi-yoon, Eugene and Joo Won. The series earned decently good ratings for GMA that year. Despite the success, GMA chose not to hold on to The Baker King, let alone create a local version of it. Instead, TV5 acquired the rights for the possible remake last year. The remake of The Baker King will star Mark Neumann, Shaira Mae and Akihiro Blanco, and will air on weeknights starting May 18 after the Wattpad Presents series. Also, IBC-13 is doing about unprecedented, as a remake of the popular Taiwanovela Fall In Love With Me which is already premiered on the network last April 6. The remake of Fall In Love With Me will star teen actress Sue Ramirez and the newest Kapinoy actor Aljur Abrenica, and will air on weeknights after the superserye Voltron Man. It is rare for a drama series to have a remake air on a different station. Whether it is due to lack of revenue, loss of desire or motivation, or declining ratings, keeping the rights to a particular drama is a something TV stations cannot avoid at times. That said, it is one station’s loss and another’s gain when these things fall into place. Regardless of the result, these stations should be proud to have tried their hand at remaking these classics. After all, Philippine television is always a cautionary tale for a station’s decisions.